Bills Parcells on Patriots exit - 'I wish I would have done things a little differently' - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Parcells was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, saying the franchise will always have a place in his heart before referencing his acrimonious departure in 1997.

«We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently,» Parcells, 84, said on a sun-splashed day in which hundreds gathered for a ceremony that also included the induction of three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman. «I come back here and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently.»

Parcells coached the Patriots from 1993 to 1996, bringing credibility and championship pedigree to an organization that had been one of the NFL's worst at the time.

Robert Kraft, a longtime Patriots fan who was a season-ticket member, officially purchased the team in 1994. Parcells had a well-documented split with Kraft after leading the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season, becoming head coach of the rival New York Jets.

«Over the years, we've both mellowed,» Kraft said in introducing Parcells. «We've shared laughs, swapped stories and reflected on the foundation we built together. I want to say, 'Thank you, Bill. Thank you for the fire. Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the foundation. And thank you for the many contributions you made to this franchise.'»

Parcells, wearing the traditional red jacket for inductees, spoke to the crowd for 12 minutes and shared why the moment was humbling and meaningful to him as he began his NFL coaching career as a Patriots assistant coach in 1980.

It was a full-circle moment for Parcells, who credited longtime executive Bucko Kilroy and former coach and executive Mike Holovak for teaching him how to evaluate